poverty syllabus nepomnyaschy 19 910 544 sp13 posted

8/18/2019 Poverty Syllabus Nepomnyaschy 19 910 544 Sp13 Posted

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RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK

Policy Perspectives on Poverty and Inequality

19:910:544

Spring 2013

Time: Wednesdays 8:30 – 11:10 amLocation: School of Social Work (536 George St.), room 209

Professor: Lenna Nepomnyaschy, PhD Email: [email protected]

Office: 536 George St., room 205, hours by appt.

I. Course Description

Confronting issues of poverty and inequality is a core value of the social work profession. This

course will provide students with a theoretical, empirical, and analytical understanding of

poverty and inequality in the US. Throughout the course comparisons will be made with other

developed nations. The course will address the following four broad areas:

First, we will explore a number of competing theoretical perspectives on the causes of poverty

and inequality and examine the roles of ideology and values in the response to poverty andinequality in the US and other wealthy nations.

Second, we will examine the extent and characteristics of poverty and inequality in the US. This

will include an understanding of how these concepts are measured, as well as their patterns anddynamics over recent decades. The course will explore how the risk of poverty varies with

respect to differences in race, ethnicity, gender, age, family background, and geographical

residence. Comparisons will be made with other developed countries.

Third, the course will examine the effects and consequences of poverty on individuals, families,

and communities. These will include the detrimental effects of poverty and inequality upon

health, education, and life chances. We will again compare these effects with those in otherwealthy nations.

Finally, the course will review social policies in the US which directly or indirectly impact poverty and inequality and will compare them to those in other developed countries. We will also

examine the role of social work in addressing and confronting issues of poverty, inequality and

social justice more broadly.

II. Place of Course in Program

This course is a foundation year elective and is open to all interested students who havecompleted Social Welfare Policy and Services I (SWPS I). The course is also open to doctoral

students and to graduate students from other schools and departments.

III. Course Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course, students will:


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1. Understand and critically evaluate the roles of ideology and values in society’s views of

and response to poverty and inequality.

2. Understand the different measures of poverty and inequality, and their consequences for

the social construction of the problem, policy response, and political debate.

3. Be familiar with the extent, patterns, and trends of poverty and inequality in the US and

how they are distributed across demographic groups and geographic areas in the US.

4. Understand how poverty and inequality impact all aspects of individual, family, and

community well-being in the US.

5. Understand the role of public policy and its implementation in producing, maintainingand alleviating poverty and inequality in the US and how this compares with other

developed countries.

6.

Understand and appreciate the role that social workers can play in addressing andconfronting issues related to poverty and inequality through clinical practice, policy

practice, research, advocacy and all other forms of social work practice.

IV. Social Work Core Competencies and Practice Behaviors

1. Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly

a. advocate for client access to the services of social work

2. Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice

a. make ethical decisions by applying standards of the NASW Code of Ethics. b. apply strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at principled decisions

3. Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments

a. distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including research- based knowledge, and practice wisdom

b. analyze models of assessment, prevention, intervention, and evaluation

c. demonstrate effective oral and written communication in working with individuals,families, groups, organizations, communities, and colleagues

4. Engage diversity and difference in practice

a. recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures and values may oppress, marginalize,alienate, or create or enhance privilege and power

5. Advance human rights and social and economic justicea. understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination

b. advocate for human rights and social and economic justice

c. engage in practices that advance social and economic justice

6. Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research

a. use research evidence to inform practice


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7. Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment

a. utilize conceptual frameworks to guide the processes of assessment, intervention, and

evaluation b. critique and apply knowledge to understand person and environment

8. Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective

social work servicesa. analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance social well-being

9. Respond to contexts that shape practicea. continuously discover, appraise, and attend to changing locales, populations, scientific

and technological developments, and emerging societal trends to provide relevant serves

b. provide leadership in promoting sustainable changes in service delivery and practice to

improve the quality of social services

10. Intervene and evaluate interventions on behalf of clients

a. negotiate, mediate, and advocate for clients

b.

critically analyze, monitor, and evaluate interventions

V. Course Requirements

Students are expected to attend class, arrive on time, and be present for the entire session.

Students are also expected to complete all assigned readings so that they can fully participate in

class discussions.

Students are expected to read The New York Times regularly to be fully informed of current

events that are related to issues of poverty and inequality in the US and globally.

Students will write several short papers related to required readings, have one longer written

assignment, one take-home exam, and will present several current events articles to the class.

All course materials are on the Sakai website for the course. Students are expected to access

readings, lecture slides, and all other material and submit assignments through the website.

Students are expected to read emails and announcements sent by the professor through their

Rutgers email account to stay informed of any last minute changes in the course schedule,

readings, or assignments.

VI.

Grading

Grades for the course will be based on the following criteria:

1. Four short papers on class readings (40%)

Students will sign up to prepare four short papers (2-3 pages maximum) for fourclass sessions. These papers will very briefly summarize the readings for that

session by focusing on several questions that are posed for each session. Students

will be prepared to help facilitate class discussion for that session.


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2. One take home final exam (25%)

The exam will evaluate students’ understanding of the concepts discussed in class andtheir ability to critically apply those concepts. Exam will be based on readings, videos,

lectures and class discussions.

3.

Ethnography reading response (20%)Students will prepare a short summary of their chosen ethnography, tying the work to the

concepts covered in readings, lectures, and class discussions. Please see assignment sheet

for specific instructions. Students will also discuss their chosen ethnography in class.

4. Current events (10%)

Students will sign up for two class sessions for which they will bring in a relevant

article from a national or local newspaper. They will write up a one-pagesummary of the article and explanation of how it is related to our course. Two students

will be selected each session to briefly present their article to the class.

5.

Attendance and participation (5%)Students are expected to attend each class, arrive on time, and stay for the entire session.

Students are also expected to be prepared for class by having read the assigned material

and to participate in class discussions.

VII. Course Evaluation

Rutgers University issues a survey that evaluates both the course and the instructor. This survey

is completed by students toward the end of the semester, and all answers are confidential and

anonymous. The instructor may also choose to conduct a mid-semester evaluation.

VIII. Academic Integrity

All work submitted in a graduate course must be your own.

It is unethical and a violation of the University’s Academic Integrity Policy to present the ideas

or words of another without clearly and fully identifying the source. Inadequate citations will beconstrued as an attempt to misrepresent the cited material as your own. Use the APA citation

style which is described in the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association,

6th

edition.

Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one’s own in any academic

exercise. To avoid plagiarism, every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks or

by appropriate indentation and must be properly cited in the text or footnote. Acknowledgementis required when material from another source is stored in print, electronic, or other medium and

is paraphrased or summarized in whole or in part in one’s own words. To acknowledge a

paraphrase properly, one might state: “to paraphrase Plato’s comment…” and conclude with a

footnote identifying the exact reference. A footnote acknowledging only a directly quotedstatement does not suffice to notify the reader of any preceding or succeeding paraphrased

material. Information which is common knowledge, such as names of leaders of prominent


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nations, basic scientific laws, etc., need not be footnoted; however, all facts or information

obtained in reading or research that are not common knowledge among students in the course

must be acknowledged. In addition to materials specifically cited in the text, only materials thatcontribute to one’s general understanding of the subject may be acknowledged in the

bibliography. Plagiarism can, in some cases, be a subtle issue. Any question about what

constitutes plagiarism should be discussed with the faculty member.

Plagiarism as described in the University’s Academic Integrity Policy is as follows: “Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is the use of another person’s words, ideas, or results without giving that person

appropriate credit. To avoid plagiarism, every direct quotation must be identified by quotationmarks or appropriate indentation and both direct quotation and paraphrasing must be cited

properly according to the accepted format for the particular discipline or as required by the

instructor in a course. Some common examples of plagiarism are:

Copying word for word (i.e. quoting directly) from an oral, printed, or electronic source

without proper attribution.

Paraphrasing without proper attribution, i.e., presenting in one’s own words another

person’s written words or ideas as if they were one’s own.

Submitting a purchased or downloaded term paper or other materials to satisfy a course

requirement.

Incorporating into one’s work graphs, drawings, photographs, diagrams, tables,

spreadsheets, computer programs, or other nontextual material from other sources

without proper attribution”.

Plagiarism along with any and all other violations of academic integrity by graduate and

professional students will normally be penalized more severely than violations by undergraduate

students. Since all violations of academic integrity by a graduate or professional student are

potentially separable under the Academic Integrity Policy, faculty members should notadjudicate alleged academic integrity violations by graduate and professional students, but

should refer such allegations to the appropriate Academic Integrity Facilitator (AIF) or to the

Office of Student Conduct. The AIF that you should contact is Antoinette Y. Farmer,

848.932.5358. The student shall be notified in writing, by email or hand delivery, of the allegedviolation and of the fact that the matter has been referred to the AIF for adjudication. This

notification shall be done within 10 days of identifying the alleged violation. Once the student

has been notified of the allegation, the student may not drop the course or withdraw from the

school until the adjudication process is complete. A TZ or incomplete grade shall be assigned

until the case is resolved. For more information regarding the Rutgers Academic IntegrityPolicies and Procedures, see:http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/academic-integrity-at-rutgers.

To promote a strong culture of academic integrity, Rutgers has adopted the following honor

pledge to be written and signed on examinations and major course assignments submitted forgrading: On my honor, I have neither received nor given any unauthor ized assistance on th is

examination.

IX. Disability Accommodation

http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/academic-integrity-at-rutgershttp://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/academic-integrity-at-rutgershttp://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/academic-integrity-at-rutgershttp://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/academic-integrity-at-rutgers


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Any student who believes that s/he may need an accommodation in this class due to a disability

should contact the University Office of Disability Services, Lucy Stone Hall, Livingston Campus

54 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Suite A145, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8045.email address: [email protected], Phone: (848) 445-6800, fax: (732) 445-3388, for a letter of

accommodation. (Undergraduate New Brunswick students should contact the Coordinator for

Students with Disabilities for their College.)

Any student, who has already received a letter of accommodation, should contact the instructor

privately to discuss implementation of his/her accommodations immediately. Failure to discuss

implementation of accommodations with the instructor promptly may result in denial of youraccommodations.

X. Required Texts

Schiller, Bradley. 2008. Economics of Poverty and Discrimination, 10th

Edition. Upper

Saddle River: Prentice Hall.

AND ONE of these ethnographies

Newman, Katherine. 2006. Chutes and Ladders: Navigating the Low-Wage Labor

Market . New York: Russell Sage.

OR

Edin, Kathryn & Maria Kefalas. 2005. Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put

Motherhood Before Marriage. Berkeley: University of California Press

ORLein, Laura & Schexnayder, Deanna. 2007. Life After Welfare: Reform and the

Persistence of Poverty. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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XI. Course Outline

Part I: Understanding Poverty & Inequality

Week 1: January 23, 2013

Topic: Introduction

Course overview Why study poverty and inequality?

Required Readings:

Select ONLY TWO of the following articles to read for the 1st day of class:

Rivlin, Gary. 2007. The millionaires who don't feel rich. The New York Times. New

York, NY: Aug 5, 2007, (p. A1).

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/technology/05rich.html?dlbk

Eduardo Porter. 2010. How superstars’ pay stifles everyone else. The New York Times.

New York, NY: December 25, 2010.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/business/26excerpt.html?pagewanted=all

DeParle, Jason. 2012. For Many Poor Students, Leap to College Ends in a Hard Fall. The

New York Times. December 22, 2102.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/education/poor-students-struggle-as-class-plays-a-

greater-role-in-success.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y&_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/22/education/Affluent-Students-Have-an-

Advantage-and-the-Gap-Is-Widening.html?ref=education

Week 2: January 30, 2013

Topic: Views of povertyQuestions to Consider

Why are there poor people?

How have views of public responsibility for poor evolved historically?

What role do values and ideology play in thinking about poverty?

What are the different views of and perspectives on the potential causes of poverty?

Which views are more in line w/conservative political ideologies and which are more inline w/liberal or progressive ideologies?

Required Readings:Schiller, Chapter 1: Views of Poverty and Inequality. (p. 1 – 18).

Iceland, John. 2007. “Early Views of Poverty in America.” Chapter 2 (p. 10 – 19). In Poverty in America: A Handbook. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Haveman, Robert. 2009. What Does It Mean to Be Poor in a Rich Society? Focus 26(2):

81-86. Institute for Research on Poverty. University of Wisconsin – Madison.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/technology/05rich.html?dlbkhttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/technology/05rich.html?dlbkhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/business/26excerpt.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/business/26excerpt.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/education/poor-students-struggle-as-class-plays-a-greater-role-in-success.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/education/poor-students-struggle-as-class-plays-a-greater-role-in-success.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/education/poor-students-struggle-as-class-plays-a-greater-role-in-success.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/22/education/Affluent-Students-Have-an-Advantage-and-the-Gap-Is-Widening.html?ref=educationhttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/22/education/Affluent-Students-Have-an-Advantage-and-the-Gap-Is-Widening.html?ref=educationhttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/22/education/Affluent-Students-Have-an-Advantage-and-the-Gap-Is-Widening.html?ref=educationhttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/22/education/Affluent-Students-Have-an-Advantage-and-the-Gap-Is-Widening.html?ref=educationhttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/22/education/Affluent-Students-Have-an-Advantage-and-the-Gap-Is-Widening.html?ref=educationhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/education/poor-students-struggle-as-class-plays-a-greater-role-in-success.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/education/poor-students-struggle-as-class-plays-a-greater-role-in-success.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/business/26excerpt.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/technology/05rich.html?dlbk


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Rector, Robert & Sheffield, Rachel. 2011. Understanding Poverty in the United States:

Surprising Facts About America’s Poor. Backgrounder. Heritage

Foundation, Washington, DC. JUST READ Executive Summary: (p. 1-2).

Botheac, Melissa & Cooper, Donna. 2011. What You Need When You’re Poor: Heritage

Foundation Hasn’t a Clue. Center for American Progress. (1 page)

Sherman, Arloc. 2004. Hardships Are Widespread Among Families in Poverty. Center on

Budget and Policy Priorities. (p.1-7).

Kenworthy, Lane & Owens, Lindsay. 2012. Political Attitudes, Public Opinion, and the

Great Recession. A Great Recession Brief. Russell Sage Foundation and the Stanford

Center on Poverty and Inequality. (p. 1-5).

Suggested:

Piven, Frances and Cloward, Richard. 1993. Relief, labor and civil disorder: An

overview. Chapter 1 (p. 3-42). In Regulating the Poor: The Functions of Public Welfare.

New York: Vintage Books.

Week 3: February 6, 2013

Topic: Measuring poverty

Questions to Consider

How is poverty officially measured in the US?

What are alternative measures?

What are the arguments for and against different poverty measures?

How big is the problem?

Who is poor in the US? Who is at greatest risk?

How do these statistics change when using different measures? How do we compare to other developed countries?

How have things changed?

Required Readings:

Schiller, Chapter 3: Counting the Poor, (p. 36-66).

Short, Kathleen. 2012. The Research: Supplemental Poverty measure: 2011. CurrentPopulation Reports. US Census Bureau. P60-244. (p. 1-20).

Unicef, Innocenti Centre, 2012. Measuring Child Poverty. Florence, Italy: Innocenti

Centre Report. Report Card 10.

Acs, Gregory & Nichols, Austin. 2010. America Insecure: Changes in the Economic

Security of American Families. The Urban Institute. Low-Income Working Families,Paper 16. (p. 1-22).

Raphael, Steven & Smolensky, Eugene. 2009. Immigration and Poverty in the United

States. Focus, 26(2): 27-31.


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U.S. Census Bureau. 2012. Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the

United States, 2011. Look at the figures, tables, and summary. Current Population

Reports. Washington, DC. P60-243.http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p60-243.pdf

2012 Federal Poverty Guidelines and Thresholds:

http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/12poverty.shtml

Useful Resource:

U.S. Census Bureau. Poverty Website.http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/


Topic: Inequality


What is inequality and how does it differ from poverty?

Can inequality be good? Can it be bad? How is inequality measured?

What is the extent of inequality in the US?

What is social mobility and how is it related to inequality?

How does the US compare to other developed countries on these measures?

FILM: PBS, Frontline Documentary: The Two Nations of Black America

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/race/etc/synopsis.html

Required Readings:

Schiller, Chapter 2: Inequality, (p. 18-35).

Fischer, Claude S., Hout, Michael, Jankowski, Martin Sanchez, Lucas Samuel R.,Swidler, Ann & Voss, Kim. 2007. Inequality by design. Chapter 3 (p. 18 – 22). In Grusky

& Szelenyi (eds.), Inequality Reader: Contemporary and Foundational Readings in

Race, Class, and Gender. Cambridge, MA: Westview Press.

Krueger, Alan B. 2007. Inequality, too much of a good thing. Chapter 4 (p. 23 – 31). In

Grusky & Szelenyi (eds.), Inequality Reader: Contemporary and Foundational Readingsin Race, Class, and Gender. Cambridge, MA: Westview Press.

Pew Charitable Trusts. 2012. Pursuing the American Dream: Economic Mobility Across

Generations. (p. 1-27)http://www.pewstates.org/projects/economic-mobility-project-328061

Pew Charitable Trusts. 2011. Does America Promote Mobility As Well As Other Nations? Economic Mobility Project. (p. 1-5).

Saez, Emannuel. 2012. Striking It Richer: The Evolution of Top Incomes in the United

States, 2010. (p. 1-10). SKIM TEXT, LOOK CLOSELY AT TABLE AND GRAPHS.

http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p60-243.pdfhttp://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p60-243.pdfhttp://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/12poverty.shtmlhttp://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/12poverty.shtmlhttp://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/race/etc/synopsis.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/race/etc/synopsis.htmlhttp://www.pewstates.org/projects/economic-mobility-project-328061http://www.pewstates.org/projects/economic-mobility-project-328061http://www.pewstates.org/projects/economic-mobility-project-328061http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/race/etc/synopsis.htmlhttp://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/12poverty.shtmlhttp://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p60-243.pdf


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Unicef, Innocenti Centre, 2010. Children Left Behind: A league table of inequality in

child well- being in the worlds’ rich countries. Florence, Italy: Innocenti Centre Report.

Report Card 9. SKIM TEXT, TAKE A LOOK AT TABLES AND GRAPHS


Topic: Inequality (cont’d): Wealth, Race, and Inequality Questions to Consider

What is the difference between income and wealth?

How does wealth contribute to inequality?

Why is wealth inequality greater than income inequality?

What is the extent of wealth inequality in the US?

Why are African-Americans particularly disadvantaged with regards to wealth?

Required Readings:

Economic Policy Institute. 2012. The State of Working America, Chapter 6. Wealth:

Unrelenting Disparities. Cornell University Press. (p. 375-413 SKIP The Racial Divide

in Wealth)

Oliver, Melvin & Thomas M. Shapiro. 1997. Chapter 1: “Race, Wealth, and Inequality.”

In Black Wealth/White Wealth: A New Perspective on Racial Inequality. New York:Routledge. (p. 11-32)

Oliver, Melvin & Thomas M. Shapiro. 1997. Chapter 2: “A Sociology of Race and

Inequality.” (p. 33-52).

Pew Research Center. 2011. Wealth Gaps Rise to Record Highs between Whites, Blacks,

and Hispanics. Social & Demographic Trends. (p.1-32).

National Center for Children in Poverty. 2010. Asset Poverty and Debt Among Families

with Children. (p. 1-12)

http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_918.pdf

Part II: Causes of Poverty & Inequality


Topic: Causes of poverty & Inequality: Employment, Wages, Family Structure, Education,

Ability, Culture, Health


What are some characteristics of our economic and political system that contribute to

poverty and inequality?

If everyone had a job would poverty be eradicated? Why or why not?

What individual or family characteristics contribute to poverty and inequality?

Are these causal relationships?

How would someone from a conservative political perspective view these reasons asopposed to someone from a liberal or progressive political perspective?

http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_918.pdfhttp://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_918.pdfhttp://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_918.pdf


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Based on these competing ideologies or political perspectives, what might be the

potential policy prescriptions for reducing poverty?

Required Readings:

Pick THREE of the following SIX Schiller Chapters to Read:

Schiller, Chapter 5: Labor force participation (p. 79 – 101).Schiller, Chapter 6: The working poor (p. 102 – 119).

Schiller, Chapter 7: Age and health (p. 120-139).

Schiller, Chapter 8: Family size and family structure (p. 140 – 154).Schiller, Chapter 9: The underclass: Culture and race (p. 155-171).

Schiller, Chapter 10: Education and ability, (p. 172 – 186).

AND

Mishel, Lawrence. 2012. Unions, Inequality, and Faltering Middle-Class Wages, EPI

Issue Brief 342. In The State of Working America, 12th

Edition. Economic Policy

Institute. (p. 1-12)

Autor, David. 2011. The Polarization of Job Opportunities in the U.S. Labor Market:Implications for Employment and Earnings. Center for American Progress. Introduction

and Summary ONLY (p. 1-7).

National Employment Law Project. 2012. The Low-Wage Recovery and GrowingInequality. (p. 1-8).

Week 7: March 6, 2013

Topic: Causes of Poverty & Inequality: DiscriminationQuestions to consider

How can discrimination be measured?

What are the different types of discrimination?

How does discrimination in education, employment, housing, credit, and consumermarkets lead to poverty and inequality?

Which groups are at risk?

How does gender fit into this?

What is the relationship between discrimination and segregation?

FILM: True Colors, 1991. Primetime Documentary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyL5EcAwB9c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOS3BBmUxvs

Readings:Schiller, Bradley. Chapter 11: Discrimination in Education. (p. 187-207)

Pager, Devah & Hana Shepherd. 2008. “The Sociology of Discrimination: Racial

Discrimination in Employment, Housing, Credit, and Consumer Markets.” Annual Review of Sociology 34:181-209.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyL5EcAwB9chttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyL5EcAwB9chttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOS3BBmUxvshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOS3BBmUxvshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOS3BBmUxvshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyL5EcAwB9c


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Massey, Douglas S. & Denton, Nancy A. 2007. American Apartheid: Segregation and the

Making of the Underclass, chapter 18 (p. 153 – 164). In Grusky & Szelenyi (eds.), Inequality Reader: Contemporary and Foundational Readings in Race, Class, and

Gender. Cambridge, MA: Westview Press.

Orfield, Gary, Kucsera, John & Siegel-Hawley, Genevieve. 2012. Deepening DoubleSegregation for More Students. READ Executive Summary Only, (p. 7-14). Civil

Rights Project, University of California, Los Angeles.

England, Paula. 2005. “Gender Inequality in Labor Markets: The Role of Motherhood

and Segregation.” Social Politics 12: 264-288.

Implicit Discrimination Test: Register and Take the Test (this will take 10-15 minutes).Make note of your results for yourself. You will NOT need to reveal your results in class.

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/research/

Week 8: March 13, 2013

Topic: Causes of Poverty & Inequality: Incarceration


How can incarceration be both a cause and a consequence of poverty and inequality?

How have policies contributed to incarceration rates in the US?

How do incarceration/corrections rates in the US compare with other countries?

Which groups are most at risk of involvement with the corrections system? Why?

How are former convicts disadvantaged in the labor market?

What is the role of race

What is disenfranchisement? Who is most affected?

How can disenfranchisement be both a cause and a consequence of poverty andinequality?

FILM & AUDIO: NPR Special Report: Economics of Prisons (2 parts: 18 minutes)http://www.npr.org/2011/03/25/134850972/town-relies-on-troubled-youth-prison-for-profits

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134855801/private-prison-promises-leave-texas-towns-in-trouble

ReadingsWestern, Bruce. 2006. The Politics and Economics of Punitive Criminal Justice, Chapter

3 (p. 52-81). Punishment and Inequality in America. New York: Russell Sage.

Wakefield, Sara & Uggen, Christopher. 2012. Incarceration and Stratification. Annual Review of Sociology 36:387-406.

Western, Bruce & Petit, Becky. 2010. Collateral Costs: Incarceration’s Effect onEconomic Mobility. Pew Charitable Trusts: Washington, DC. (p. 6-27).

Raphael, Steven. 2007. The Employment Prospects of Ex-Offenders. Focus 25(2):21-26.

Pager, Devah, Western, Bruce, and Sugie, Naomi. 2009. “Sequencing Disadvantage:

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/research/https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/research/http://www.npr.org/2011/03/25/134850972/town-relies-on-troubled-youth-prison-for-profitshttp://www.npr.org/2011/03/25/134850972/town-relies-on-troubled-youth-prison-for-profitshttp://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134855801/private-prison-promises-leave-texas-towns-in-troublehttp://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134855801/private-prison-promises-leave-texas-towns-in-troublehttp://www.npr.org/2011/03/28/134855801/private-prison-promises-leave-texas-towns-in-troublehttp://www.npr.org/2011/03/25/134850972/town-relies-on-troubled-youth-prison-for-profitshttps://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/research/


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Barriers to Employment Facing Young Black and White Men with Criminal Records.”

Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 623(1): 195-213.

Manza, Jeffrey & Uggen, Christopher. 2006. Introduction (p. 3 -11), in Locked Out:

Felon Disenfranchisement and American Democracy. New York: Oxford UniversityPress.

Uggen, Christopher, Shannon, Sarah & Manza, Jeff. 2012. State-Level Estimates of

Felon Disenfranchisement in the US, 2010. The Sentencing Project. (p. 1-17).

MARCH 20, 2013: NO CLASS, SPRING BREAK

Part III: Consequences of Poverty & Inequality

Week 9: March 27, 2013Topic: Socioeconomic Status and Health

Questions to consider

What is a socioeconomic gradient in health?

How does the US compare to other countries?

How can social conditions be a fundamental cause of disease?

What evidence is there to support this?

How else can social conditions “get under the skin”?

What evidence is there to support this?

FILM: Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick ? Part I: In Sickness and InWealth. (50 mins.)

Required Readings:

“Reaching for a Healthier Life: Facts on Socioeconomic Status and Health in the U.S.”2007. John D. and Katherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on

Socioeconomic Status and Health. (p.4-48)

http://www.macses.ucsf.edu/downloads/Reaching_for_a_Healthier_Life.pdf

Link Bruce G. and Phelan Jo. 1995. “Social conditions as fundamental causes of

disease.” Journal of Health & Social Behavior , 80-94.

Burgard, Sarah. 2012. Is the Recession Making Us Sick? (p. 19-23). Pathways: A

Magazine on Poverty, Inequality, and Social Policy, Fall 2012. Stanford Center on

Poverty and Inequality.

Ludwig, Jens, et al. 2012. Neighborhood Effects on the Long-Term Well-Being of Low-

Income Adults. Science 337:1505-1510.

http://www.macses.ucsf.edu/downloads/Reaching_for_a_Healthier_Life.pdfhttp://www.macses.ucsf.edu/downloads/Reaching_for_a_Healthier_Life.pdfhttp://www.macses.ucsf.edu/downloads/Reaching_for_a_Healthier_Life.pdf


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Week 10: Apr il 3, 2013

Topic: Discrimination and Health


What do we know about differences in health by race/ethnicity in the US?

What role might discrimination play?

How can discrimination impact health?

What evidence is there to support this? How does discrimination work for different groups?

What is the role of segregation?

FILM: Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick ? Part II: When the BoughBreaks. (30 minutes) Part V: Place Matters (30 minutes).

Williams, David R. and Collins, C. 1995. "U.S. Socioeconomic and Racial Differences

in Health: Patterns and Explanations." Annual Review of Sociology, 21:349-386.

Williams, David & Mohammed, S. 2009 Discrimination and Racial Disparities in Health:

Evidence and Needed Research. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 32:20-47.

Williams DR, Collins C. 2001. “Racial residential segregation: a fundamental cause of

racial disparities in health.” Public Health Reports. 116:404-416.

Week 11: Apr il 10, 2013

Topic: Effects of Poverty on Children


How and why does poverty impact children’s health, development, and life chances?

What are the mechanisms through which poverty impacts children?

How does duration, timing, and severity of poverty matter for children? How are neighborhoods related to child development?

What child outcomes are impacted by poverty?

FILM: Frontline Documentary. 2012. Poor Kids: Poverty through the Eyes of Children.(53 mins.)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/poor-kids/

Required Reading:

Magnuson, Katherine & Votruba-Drzal, Elizabeth. 2009. Enduring Influences of

Childhood Poverty. In M. Cancian & S. Danziger (eds.), Changing Poverty, Changing

Policies. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Shonkoff, Jack. 2011. Building a Foundation for Prosperity on the Science of Early

Childhood Development. Pathways. Stanford University Center for the Study ofInequality.

Evans, Gary, Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne & Klebanov, Pamela. 2011. Stressing Out the Poor:

Chronic Physiological Stress and the Income-Achievement Gap. Pathways. StanfordUniversity Center for the Study of Inequality.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/poor-kids/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/poor-kids/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/poor-kids/


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Tough, Paul. 2011. The Poverty Clinic. The New Yorker . March 21, 2011.

Pebley, Anne, R. & Sastry, Nrayan. 2007. Neighborhoods, Poverty, and Children’s Well-

Being. Chapter 19 (p. 165 – 178). In The Inequality Reader: Contemporary and

Foundational Readings in Race, Class, and Gender , Grusky, David B. & Szelenyi,

Szonja (eds.). Cambridge, MA: Westview Press.

Week 12: Apr il 17, 2013

Topic: Catching up and Discussion of Ethnography Papers

Ethnography Reading Assignments Due

Part IV: Addressing Poverty & Inequality

Week 13: Apr il 24, 2013

Topic: Policy Response – Policies that address povertyQuestions to consider

What is the difference between welfare and social insurance programs/policies?

Which have been more effective in alleviating poverty? Why?

Which have been less effective? Why?

What are the inherent problems with anti-poverty programs? Conundrums?

Which types of programs are most in line with American values?

Which policies would conservatives most value? What about liberals?

Required Readings:

Schiller, Bradley. Chapter 13: The Welfare Programs

Schiller, Bradley. Chapter 14: Social Insurance Programs

Schiller, Bradley. Chapter 15: Employment Programs (SKIM)

Schiller, Bradley. Chapter 16: Equal Opportunity Programs (SKIM)

Ellwood, David. 1988. Values and the Helping Conundrums (ONLY p. 13-25). In PoorSupport: Poverty in the American Family. New York: Basic Books, Inc.

Romich, Jennifer, Simmelink, Jennifer & Holt, Stephen. 2007. When Working Harder

Does Not Pay: Low-Income Working Families, Tax Liabilities, and Benefit Reductions. Families in Society 88(3) :418-426.

Bane, Mary Jo. 2009. Poverty Policy and Politics, chapter 13 (p. 367-386) in Changing

Poverty, Changing Policies. Cancian & Danziger (eds.). New York: Russell Sage.

Week 14: May 1, 2013

Topic: Taxes and Spending


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What is the tax burden on different segments of the population?

How has the tax burden changed?

What is the difference between taxes, tax expenditures, government programs?

What role do all these policy instruments play in redistributing wealth?

What do we mean by progressive and regressive taxes? What are examples of each?

Who benefits most from the government? Who benefits the least?

Take Home Exam Distributed – Due: Monday, May 13, 2013

Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. 2012. Misconceptions and Realities of Who PaysTaxes. (p. 1-10)

Obrien, Rourke & Newman, Katherine. 2011. Stop Taxing the Poor. First Focus.

Washington, DC. Article based on: Taxing the Poor: Doing Damage to the Truly Disadvantaged . Berkeley: University of California Press. (p.1-7)

Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. 2009. Who pays? A Distributional Analysisof Tax Systems in All 50 States. Introduction and Summary ONLY, (p. 1-14).

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 2012. Contrary to “Entitlement” Rhetoric, Nine-

Tenths of Entitlement Spending Goes to Elderly, Disabled, and Working Households. (p.1-7).

Tax Policy Center. 2008. Tax Expenditures (p. 1-18). The Tax Policy Briefing Book.

Urban Institute and Brookings Institution.

Applebaum, Binyamin. 2102. Tax Burden for Most Americans Is Lower Than in the

1980s. New York Times, November 29, 2012.http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/us/most-americans-face-lower-tax-burden-than-in-

the-80s.html?pagewanted=all

Story, Louis. 2012. As Companies Seek Tax Deals, Governments Pay High Price. NewYork Times, December 1, 2012.

Week 15: May 8, 2013

Topic: What are the most promising policies?Questions to consider

What has the experience been in the UK? How successful were they in reducing poverty? What are some of the most promising social policies that have been enacted or proposed

for the US?

Why are these policies (or why would these policies be if not yet enacted) particularly

helpful at reducing poverty and inequality?

FILM: Critical Condition: Sick and Uninsured in the US

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/us/most-americans-face-lower-tax-burden-than-in-the-80s.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/us/most-americans-face-lower-tax-burden-than-in-the-80s.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/us/most-americans-face-lower-tax-burden-than-in-the-80s.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/us/most-americans-face-lower-tax-burden-than-in-the-80s.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/us/most-americans-face-lower-tax-burden-than-in-the-80s.html?pagewanted=all


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Required Readings:

Waldfogel, Jane. 2009. Chapter 8: Lessons for the US and other countries (p. 166-184). Britain’s War on Poverty. New York: Russell Sage.

Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. 2012. Policy Basics: The Earned Income Tax

Credit. (p. 1-3).

http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2505

Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. 2012. Studies Show that the EITC Encourages

Work and Success at School and Reduces Poverty. (p. 1-13).http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3793

Reynolds, Arthur et al. 2011. School-Based Early Childhood Education and Age-28

Well-Being: Effects by Timing, Dosage, and Subgroups. Science, 333:360-364.

Jacob, Brian & Ludwig, Jens. 2009. Improving Educational Outcomes for Poor Children.

Focus, 26(2): 56-61.

Wolfe, Barbara. 2011. Poverty and Poor Health: Can Health Care Reform Narrow the

Rich-Poor Gap? Focus 28(2) 25-30. Institute for Research on Poverty. University of

Wisconsin – Madison.

Leonhardt, David. 2010. In Health Bill, Obama Attacks Inequality. New York Times,

March 23, 2010.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/business/24leonhardt.html Effects on Different Types of People – Interactive Graphic

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/24/us/politics/20100319-health-care-

effect.html?ref=business
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2505http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2505http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3793http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3793http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/business/24leonhardt.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/business/24leonhardt.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/24/us/politics/20100319-health-care-effect.html?ref=businesshttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/24/us/politics/20100319-health-care-effect.html?ref=businesshttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/24/us/politics/20100319-health-care-effect.html?ref=businesshttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/24/us/politics/20100319-health-care-effect.html?ref=businesshttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/03/24/us/politics/20100319-health-care-effect.html?ref=businesshttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/business/24leonhardt.htmlhttp://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3793http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2505

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